The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-05-21
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
WEATHER ERRORS.

Few erroneous notions are spread SO readlly
and cling so tenaciously as those respecting the
weather. In noticing common errors of this kind,
Prof. Cleveland Able, the distinguished meteor
ologist, urges attention to these facts That while
the moon might we'll be expected to influence
weather. scientific evidence shows that it does not;
that there is no sound reason for believing that
sunspots have any appreciable effect in producing
storms, or other local changes that animal in
stinct as guide to future weather; that the in
dications furnished by plants are due to the hy-
droscopic condition of the air, as are also other
"signs," and are less delicate and reliable than
the accurate instrumental tests of meteorologiss
that electricity and ozone do not produce the ef-
fects often ascribed to them that thunder storms
do not cool the air, but the coolnrush results like
the storm, from the rise of hot air-at least in
many cases that it has not yet been proven that
the removal of forests and the extension of rail-
roads and telegraphs have Influenced our climate;
that the weather is materially the same as in old
fashioned times, scientific records disproving the
faulty recolections of the oldest inhabitant; and
that severe storms are more liable to occur at
the date of the equinoxes, or on certain days of
the week or month, than at other times.
A GREAT WORK.
The reports of the Challenger exploring expe-
dition form perhaps the most elaborate and ex-
pensive single work ever published by and Gov
ernment, the net cost to Great Britain having
been thus far about 200, an additional $780,
600 having been recovered from sales. No less
than twenty seven large quarto volumes have been
issued illustrated by about 1000 full page litho-
graphic plates, some eighty charts and diagrams,
and many hundred photographs and wood cuts
At least seven volumes more will be necessary (,
but it is expected that the whole work will be
completed by March, 1888. The famous expedi-
ton which has thrown so much light on the dark
ness of the deep sea left England, it will be re-
membered, Dec. 81 1872, and returned May 20,
1876 after voyage of more than $4,000 miles.
The party, under DR.. Wyville Thompson, made
dredgings and soundings in all the oceans and
secured important collections representing host
of new discoveries concerning submarine life and
conditions.
THE GEoGRAPHERs.
The societies for promoting geographical re-
search are steadily increasing. The frst-the
Paris Geographical Society-was established in
1921 and 80 others were in existence in 1881.
Statistics compiled by M. Kaltbrunner show that
the number is now lis, of which Europe has 81,
Africa 5, and America only 9. Periodicals treat
ing of geography have reached a total of 1863,
of which 2l4 are published in Europe and 19 in
America. France has no less than 2S Of the So
vicies, Will 10 OF Uno Perlouloais, "aa oerEH"nJ
% societies and ~ periodicals.
MEASURING ELECTRICITY.
An electric current has been we'll compared by
Ampere to a stream of water flowing in pipe.
Just as the water must have a certain "head, "
measured in feet, to make it act, so current OF
electricity flows by "pressure," or "tension, or
| "electromotve force"-always written E. M. F.
which is expressed in uols. The liquid may have
| high head with but little water, as in the noun
tain stream, while an electric current may have
great tension and yet contain but little electricity
| Lightning is good example of enormous tension
with only little electricity. On the other hand,
| a great river may have low head, and an eec
trio current may have low tension, pressure, or
E. NJ. F., while containing vast quantity of elec
| tricity. Or there may be both high head and a
| large supply of water-a Niagara Falls-and sim
| ilarly a high pressure and large quantity OF
electricity Electric currents, then are practically
| of two kinds-of high and of low pressure There
is distinction between the number of feet OF fall
and the water ITSELF so also is there distinction
| between the pressure-or number of volts-of cleo
trcity and the quantity or current itself, and the
current is measured in amperes.
| MISCELLANEOUS.
| An International Congress of Science and In
dustry is proposed for Bussels in 1883. Prizes TO
the value o: 500, 900 will be awarded for the best
papers ON various stated subjects, and many fthe
important applications of science will be discuss
| ed. The commercial section will eansider axpnrt
| and import duties. The somewhat novel idea Is
expected to prove a welcome change from the
round of international exhibitions.
| new extract of coal-"pyrofuxin"-e IN
certain Russian bituminous coal to the extent oi
| eighteen per cent. 1t is powerful antiseptic
| and is claimed to be cheap and remarkably Ell
fective tanning agent.
| By an improved process, in which a compound
prepared by coking iron and pitch together Is
used as the reducing agent, an English chemist
claims to be able to lower the cost of metallic So
dium to about thirty cents pound when pro-
duced on large scale.
Spider silk offers little hope of profitable In
| dustry. seasons work of a collector in India
resulted in ten pounds of spiders webs at cost
| of about $1,000 in Bombay.
Steel seepers on the Northeastern Railway OF
England, give indications of a life of twenty tt
twenty five years, whereas the wooden ties las
but twelve to fourteen years. The economy, II
doubtful, however, as the steel ties cost double
| those of wood. Unquestioned success with metal
| lie sleepers is thus far confined to India, where
| wood is quickly destroyed by insects.
French experiments have shown that nlcke
may be effectively rolled upon soft steel plates
| which are thus made as valuable for lamp renee
tors and other purposes as silvered copper.
Ash elected from Cotopaxi in July, 1889, MAJ
yielded wo-fths of troy ounce of silver to tn'
| ton. This metal has hitherto been unknown among
volcanic products.